access, foreign policy we're great at saying, "make sure internet is everywhere." domestically, for some reason, we haven't done so well. so i see internet access as the heart of a democratic society. >> you use that merger of comcast and nbcuniversal as the window in your book into what this power can do to the aspirations of a democratic internet. >> federal regulators today approved the purchase by comcast of a majority stake in nbcuniversal from general electric. this merger will create a $30 billion media company with cable, broadcast, internet, motion picture and theme park components. the deal is expected to close by the end of the month. >> you say that the merger between comcast and nbcuniversal represented a new frightening moment in u.s. regulatory history. how so? >> comcast is not only the nation's largest broadband distributor with tens of millions of customers, it also now owns and controls one of the four media conglomerates in america, nbcuniversal. that means that it has a built-in interest in making sure that it shapes discourse, controls program